Forum - View topicNEWS: Live-Action Death Note Film's Producer Responds to Whitewashing Controversy
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Not_Nitsugalego
 Posts: 24 |
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Well, the Japanese "culturally appropriated" American comic culture first. So TAKE THAT, Japan? spoiler[ Cultural appropriation is not a thing ] |
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Digimonlover101
 Posts: 29 |
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So when Japan used asain actors for the live action black butler does that mean it's asain washing? I won't be watching the live action death note anyways since it seems to be different from the original and none of the actors look like the characters they're supposed to be.
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Romuska
 Subscriber Posts: 807 |
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I busted up laughing too. All this says to me is that he missed the point entirely. The point being that an American production staring an Japanese-American shouldn't be considered a detriment. Especially considering the source material. |
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Beatdigga
 Posts: 4552 Location: New York |
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This is an adaptation that changes the setting. The accusations are ridiculous.
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Lord Oink
Posts: 876 |
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Main difference is stuff like Black Butler and FMA are originally Japanese works made by Japanese people. Its not like that one Spider-Man toku where Peter Parker suddenly became an Asian guy with a robot. |
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ninjamitsuki
 Posts: 622 Location: Anywhere (Thanks, technology) |
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It was a problem with Ghost in the Shell.
This is a non-issue. Besides, Light is a villain. He wouldn't have exactly been a positive Asian-American role model like The Major could have been. |
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SaiyamanMS
Posts: 302 |
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Despite the fact that spoiler[Motoko was actually a Japanese girl's brain in Scarlett Johansson's body], was the film actually set in Japan? It just seemed like a generic futuristic multicultural city to me. And we did actually did have Beat Takeshi as one of the major supporting cast along with more Japanese people in additional roles. |
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Not_Nitsugalego
Posts: 24 |
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TFW low key racism and entitlement culture is so rampant nowadays that people need characters to be of their own race in order to identify with them. I get it though, I can't identify with anime characters because I'm a three dimensional being. spoiler[Where are my 3D, male, white Hispanic, South American anime characters?!] |
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catbot158
 Posts: 232 Location: United States |
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DANG IT IT CAME OUT WRONG! 
Thanks for telling me, editing it now... Last edited by catbot158 on Thu Apr 27, 2017 4:25 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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CCTakato
Posts: 514 |
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So why was everyone outraged when the live action Akira was going to change the setting to New York and cast Kristen Stewart as Kei but changing the setting for Death Note is apparently acceptable for anime fans?
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Lord Oink
Posts: 876 |
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Unfortunately, I think the whole 'Light is the bad guy so its okay for him to be white' is a major factor. If live action Akira is about an evil white government kidnapping and experimenting on poor, oppressed black and latino youths so they rebel and take them down it'd probably get a big number of support from left leaning anime fans in this day and age. |
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XSp
Posts: 268 |
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Don't really think it's a problem when you are basically using the overall premisse of a japanese story to build an american sided plot for it, though people have to realize that the whitewashing discussion is not restricted to this alone.
We could argue though on the movie being a good representation of the original Death Note.... after it's released I guess. Among the problems is not only using white actors/actresses to represent asian characters, but rather this weird perception that is reflected on Oka's comment here: "Our casting directors did an extensive search to get Asian actors," he said, "But we couldn't find the right person, the actors we did go to didn't speak the perfect English… and the characters had been rewritten". I mean, really? Is it really THAT hard to find actors and actresses that are either asian or have asian decendency in Hollywood? Legit question. Don't we already have a very good rooster of asian actors and actresses in Hollywood that would make for a very good Death Note or whatever other title live-action movie? Isn't this perception based on prejudice? This enters a whole other discussion, which is worth digging up, but if you are interested, read this: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/ghost-shell-4-japanese-actresses-dissect-movie-whitewashing-twist-990956 Also, let me just say this: Yes, some people take the "controversy" too far. I can even understand when directors and studios will recruit well known white actors and actresses because they know the movie will sell better that way. If you assume a director position and your aim is for the movie to have better chances selling, with a huge budget weighting on your back to make it work, I guarantee you'll use any strategy available to make it happen, throwing political correctedness aside. Then again, this is how the cycle never breaks. But I'll just say this for myself: if Hollywood keeps licensing manga and anime content while always trying to whitewash it (or "localize it") on the premise of selling movies better, this is one movement I'll skip entirely. It might not mean anything for these big budget projects... what's the value of one guy boycotting things anyways, but it doesn't bode well for me personally. This is nitpicking I guess, but it irks me that all these movies are using the original content title when they are ending up so heavily adapted. To the point, Hollywood has always done this, and not only for original asian content. A whole ton of stories from all around the world have been adapted to become "american" or westernized in some way or another. I'm just disappointed that most directors can't go beyond this, I guess. Take for instance Letters from Iwo Jima from Clint Eastwood. Yes, it's a WW2 story, yes, it's on an entirely different level than a manga adaptation, but I think it proves that directors and studios can be plenty capable of telling japanese stories with japanese actors and actresses. Of course, not every director can be a genious like Clint Eastwood, and I'm extremely appreciative of his work. Perhaps it's just wishful thinking. But I wanna believe that the movie industry can do better. The discussion around this is no different from discusions of whitewashing from an african american perspective, or the discussion on the roles actresses take on movies. And yes, I realize L's actor is african american. But it's all about representation. It just doesn't feel right seeing stories that once had asian leads in asian settings getting transformed in such a way, erasing it's backgrounds and being replaced with something else. Much like the misguided feminist movement of the latter years, it's not about extremism. I don't mean to force inflexible ideas that x cannot play y, or such and such practice is unacceptable. The thing I wanna see the most is entertainment and arts overall being more open to all nationalities, genders, target audiences, skin colors and whatnot, in all levels, because that's how all sorts of inequalities really starts disappearing. |
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jrockfreak
Posts: 125 |
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if you want to see death not with Japanese actors just watch the Japanese live action versions. I own one so those are always options
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manapear
Posts: 1529 |
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I really don't think the ANN forums are ready for these kind of articles. It gets reported, because it is a part of anime and fandom stuff. But many of the comments here show me that there is a lack of (deeper or even everyday) understanding of racism and its related issues.
Like, I was kind of eager to discuss the topic, but reading over the comments. . . I don't feel comfortable even discussing it now? I feel like this will devolve the way topics on gender do on here. And it's just as quick. But I agree with and appreciate #815349's comment. Said a lot of the things I feel, but more and way more articulately than I could have. |
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residentgrigo
 Posts: 2546 Location: Germany |
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His Black-washing zing is hilarious and they just need to make the best possible film, without acknowledging outside factors and trying to put in apologetics in the film why it´s now "different". GitS did that and we saw the editorials it lead too. Good luck Mr. Netflix-man, our hopes and dreams travel with you.
The Ring remake was kind fo ingenious in keeping the Japanese tropes as an "invading elements". It played well against the US horror tropes! Death Note could have gone in that route too but the Shinigami aren´t really connected to the Japanese concept in the manga and just represent a Grim Reaper. Last edited by residentgrigo on Thu Apr 27, 2017 4:50 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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